


Outpost Drive

by gardener



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Drug Abuse, Human Trafficking, M/M, Pedophilia (mentioned), Prostitution, Rape, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-08-25 10:57:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16659817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gardener/pseuds/gardener
Summary: Sometimes he wondered how many people knew what went on within the walls of the villa on Outpost Drive in the Hollywood Hills. Luke had always prayed for somebody to come and help, for somebody that was in no way affiliated with Harrison Banks, that had no idea what he could do, what he would do. Over the years, though, the prayers had gotten much less frequent. Holding your hopes high was for children, thought the blond. He had to be mature, had to realize that there was no stopping this, had to accept his fate.This is a story about human trafficking and the truth behind the candy floss and fairy dust Hollywood pretends it is.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to start off by saying that this is actually a lot, like, a LOT. There's very graphic descriptions in it and the subjects are very touchy. I just thought it would be very interesting to write about it.

Sometimes he wondered how many people knew what went on within the walls of the villa on Outpost Drive in the Hollywood Hills. Luke had always prayed for somebody to come and help, for somebody that was in no way affiliated with Harrison Banks, that had no idea what he could do, what he _would_ do. Over the years, though, the prayers had gotten much less frequent. Holding your hopes high was for children, thought the blond. He had to be mature, had to realize that there was no stopping this, had to accept his fate.  
Because this was it. This was all he was ever going to do. Until the day he would mysteriously disappear, and young Maria, Finn, Lisa, Jackson, _everybody_ would wonder where he had gone, and who would be next. There was no stopping it. Luke had seen them come and go, seen the realization on the faces of young children, when they finally began to understand what they were there for. He had seen it all. It was a never ending circle, and it was never going to get better. Staying strong, accepting and realizing the truth, was all he could do. For the younger ones, for the children. He was so tired of hoping for a different life. It had broken him. He wanted everything _but_ that for the kids. He wanted them to be happy, but he could never give them that. Not being tired of life was the next best thing. Maybe he could give them that.

‘Do you wanna play with me, Luke?’ Maria asked, toddling on her feet at the end of Luke’s bed. The blond patted on the spot next to him. The 7 year old jumped onto the bed, her dark hair flying through the air. 

‘What do you wanna do? Play a game?’ The small girl nodded, letting her head rest on the pillow. ‘You look a little bit tired, little one. Don’t you wanna get some sleep instead?’ She shook her head heavily, making the 18 year old chuckle. ‘Are you sure?’ He tickled her sides.

‘Wanna play a game.’ Luke nodded.

‘What game do you wanna play?’ She choose Uno, a game that required way too much thinking for Luke’s taste. He looked at the beautiful little girl in front of him. God, what a shame that something so precious had to be ruined. She was so sweet, so innocent. She didn’t deserve this. Maria had done nothing wrong. But then again, none of them had.

Luke only vaguely remembered how it happened to him. He had been 6 years old, having gone from orphanage to orphanage his whole life. His mother had died giving birth to him, and it was never known who his father was. He knew nothing about his mother, and knew, if possible, even less about his father. It was all a big black hole in his mind. He was supposed to be relocated to an orphanage somewhere around Long Beach, but he had never arrived there. The chauffeur had brought him straight to the villa on Outpost Drive. That was when it all started.

‘You need to pay attention!’ Maria’s face was scrunched up, her lips pouted. ‘It’s  _ way _ too easy to win like this. It’s boring.’ The blond nodded, and shifted his focus back on their half-assed game of Uno. Maria didn’t really understood the rules, he thought, so he would let her win. She wouldn’t even notice. There was a knock on the door, and a man burst into the bedroom. It was Gerald, a security guard. 

‘L.’ The blond looked at Gerald with a questioning frown. ‘Calum is asking for you.’ He nodded and started cleaning up the Uno cards.

‘Alright, G, can you tell him I’ll be there in a sec?’ The man nodded and left the room, leaving the door open. ‘Emmie, I’m gonna go to Cal for a little bit, okay?’ She looked annoyed, but nodded anyway. She stood up and left. Maria never made a scene. She should, Luke thought. She was 7. She was supposed to make everything into a drama. He sighed and put the card game away, before heading to Calum’s room. His peer was on the bed.

‘Hi.’

‘Hey.’ Luke closed the door behind him and sat down on the edge of the bed. ‘Gerald told me you wanted to see me.’ Calum nodded. ‘What’s going on?’ The boy looked conflicted. ‘Cal?’

‘Yeah, eh… Ford is dead.’ Luke frowned. 

‘What? What happened?’ The dark-haired boy looked up.

‘He… I don’t know for sure, but I heard he had a heart attack.’ He bit his lower lip. ‘And, like, I don’t know how to feel about it. Part of me is, like, relieved, because I never have to go there again, but then also… I don’t know.’ Luke nodded sympathetically. 

‘I get it. He… I mean, you… You did see him a lot.’ He didn’t know what to say. 

‘Yeah.’ It was quiet for a while. They were both staring blankly at the white bedsheets. ‘He talked to me a lot, y’know?’ Calum frantically chewed on his pink lips. ‘He had a lot of enemies, but he also had a family. Sometimes I… I just forgot that people like that also have friends, family,  _ a life _ ; but they  _ do _ .’ He sighed and rubbed his eyes with closed fists. ‘And now that’s gone? I… I don’t know. I feel kinda weird.’ Luke remained quiet. He partially just wanted to be a listening ear for the other boy, but was also partially just too mentally exhausted to talk. ‘Banks gave me a week off.’  That sparked the blond’s interest.

‘What? Really?’ He made a face. ‘That’s very… reasonable?’ Calum chuckled. 

‘Right? I didn’t believe it at first, but he meant it. He said that I needed to “deal with the loss”.’ Luke couldn’t stop frowning. ‘Honestly, I think he didn’t really have clients for me this week.’ He laughed dryly. ‘But, I mean, whatever, right? I get a week off. I don’t remember the last time I had a week off.’ Luke didn’t think he had ever had a week off. Neither had Calum.

‘Does that mean you don’t have to go to the benefit gala Friday?’ Calum nodded, sorrow in his eyes. ‘So… I… I have to go alone?’ It sparked panic in the blond. Having to go to the benefit was bad enough on its own. Having to go  _ alone _ was nothing less than sinister. 

‘I’m sorry, L, I…’ The boy took a deep breath. ‘I can’t do it. I’m so sorry.’

‘It’s… No, it’s okay. I… It’s not that bad.’ There was a hellish knot in Luke’s stomach, rising up to his throat. ‘You… You have every right to stay here. I… I would’ve done the same thing, if I had the chance.’ It was true. If Luke had been in Calum’s position, he would have stayed home as well. No matter how much he loved the black-haired beauty. If every part of your life is forced, if you can never make your own decisions, you become selfish. You will take everything you can, even if it hurts somebody else. 

‘I’m sorry.’

‘It’s okay, I promise.’ Luke hung a reassuring smile around his lips. ‘It’ll be fine, it can’t be that bad.’ It was going to be that bad for sure, if not worse. ‘I’ll be alright. It won’t kill me.’ He hoped so, at least. 

‘Yeah, you’re gonna be fine. It’s… Who knows, maybe Jordan or Carson will die, too, soon.’ He wiggled his eyebrows. Luke snickered.

‘Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?’ Calum shrugged, which made the blond frown. Was he being serious?

‘Have you never thought about it?’ Okay, he  _ was _ serious. It was now Luke’s turn to shrug.

‘I mean, I guess so.’ He had a curious look on his face. ‘You didn’t… y’know…’

‘Of course not,’ Calum crowed. ‘But I can’t say I haven’t thought about it. I wouldn’t do that to Ford. He… I mean, he wasn’t great or whatever, but he wasn’t the absolute worst.’ Luke nodded. He knew. Ford had bad days, but he was usually not the worst, as Calum said. ‘But with Carson… God, I’ve thought about it.’ Luke nodded. He had, too. ‘I sometimes think about it in bed, the night before. Slipping something in his drink, or even, like, stabbing him or something.’ Luke laughed out loud, which made Calum cackle as well. 

‘What I would give to stab the hell out of that man…’ Luke had fantasized about it many times. The way Jeremy Carson treated them was downright scandalous. ‘But, y’know, I don’t wanna undergo the same fate.’ Calum nodded. ‘But that’s the only thing holding me back. To be real, though, I might do it soon. Not sure if I can take it much longer.’ The door swung open, and Gerald stood in the opening, a big frown on his face. 

‘What the  _ hell _ are you talking about?’  The boys looked at each other and pulled a face;  _ busted _ . The broad man walked up to Luke and grabbed him by the neck. The boy looked up with wide eyes. ‘I hope you’re joking, because you’re right; you’ll undergo the same fate. Don’t think you’re valuable; you’re not. Banks won’t hesitate.’ Luke nodded hastily. ‘Understood?’ He nodded again, not being able to speak because of Gerald’s tight grip on his neck. ‘Good.’ He pushed the blond away and left the room. 

‘Jesus, what’s up with G?’ frowned Calum. Luke shot him a look. ‘’m Sorry,’ he mumbled. ‘I should’ve known he was listening. Shouldn’t have brought it up.’ The blond rolled his eyes. He rubbed his neck. ‘Sometimes I wonder why we’re not scared of G. I’m pretty sure he could snap both of our necks using his thumb and index finger.’ 

‘You’re not scared of G?’ Calum shook his head. ‘I am, sometimes. He barges into my room a lot, and sometimes I’ve done nothing wrong, but he’ll still have that “I’m going to kill you” look on his face. It freaks me the fuck out.’

‘I can hear you!’ yelled Gerald from the other side of the door. They heard him walking away afterwards. Luke chuckled, and Calum followed.

‘Okay, he’s gone,’ said the dark-haired boy. ‘Now we can get back to planning Jeremy Carson’s murder.’ Luke punched the other boy in the shoulder. ‘Okay, okay.’ 

‘Fuck, I could really, really go for a smoke right now.’ Calum sighed.

‘Me too,’ he agreed. ‘I don’t have any cigs left.’

‘Me neither.’ 

‘Do you think you can pick some up tonight?’ The blond made a face. ‘I know that’s asking a lot, but we’re both losing it. I can’t leave the house, so you’re gonna have to do it.’ 

‘Yeah, I know.’ He bit his lip. ‘I have an appointment with Hensley at 11. If Jacques is in a good mood I might be able to pick some up on the way home.’ Jacques, one of the gentlemen who chauffeured them around, wasn’t the hardest on them. He was a smoker himself, so he would sometimes buy them a carton. Only if he was in a good mood, though. If he’d had a bad day, it was best to not speak to him at all. 

‘Let’s hope so, then.’ 

‘Si, Si.’ 

-

Leo Hensley was no good man. He was a high profile alt-right politician with tons of media coverage, so it was extremely important that nobody, absolutely _nobody_ , found out about this. He had a “lovely” wife and three children; two daughters and a son, who all greatly looked up to their father. He wasn’t the worst out of all of Banks’ clients, but he was still a sick fuck. Luke had been aquantained with him for a long time. The first time he had contacted Harrison Banks was three years ago, when Luke was 15 years old. He had chosen him, and he had apparently made the right choice, because here he was, three years later, still seeing the blond every week.  Banks was involved in a large human trafficking ring, and he had his own part: Los Angeles. The place where dreams come true. Or go to die. It depends on who you are. The biggest part of Banks’ clientele consisted of celebrities and other high profile men. As far as Luke was concerned, it was all men, but he could be wrong. It was just all he had to deal with. Banks’ chauffeurs would drive his boys and girls to the designated location, where men of power paid a hefty price to do whatever they wanted with them. They, the ones that people called “Banks’ kids”, all lived in the villa on Outpost Drive. They weren’t allowed to leave. A lot of people knew about them, knew about what was going on. The police was corrupt. Luke had found out about that the hard way. Luke was 18, now, but had been doing this since he was 6, almost for as long as he could remember. LA was full of pedophiles. That, he also found out the hard way. The personal way. And he was confronted with it every day. Maria was 7, and she wasn’t even the youngest one Banks had. He owned them like cars, but they were definitely Lamborghini’s. They were Banks’ gold mines, all of them. It was brutal.   
Because the clientele was so rich, they expected a certain luxury. That’s why Banks’ kids were treated well in the house. A couple (or a dozen) bruises didn’t matter, but they were always clean, showered and somewhat rested before an appointment. They all had their own bedrooms (except the little kids), and there were multiple bathrooms as well. It ensured order, and a certain amount of “peace and quiet” in the house. They lived there with about 15 people. It fluctuated a little, because the kids came and went. Some were not wanted enough, or too old. They’d just disappear, and nobody talked about it. 

‘Fuck, so hot for daddy.’ Luke was up in ropes, tied to the headboard. The man was fucking into him relentlessly, but it didn’t hurt much. He’d used lube. The only thing that was actually  _ painful _ in this situation was the ropes digging into the flesh of his wrists. ‘You like that, don’t you? Being tied up like this. Letting me take control.’ He nodded, not being able to talk because of the ball gag in his mouth. It was a lie. Of course he didn’t like it. He hated it. He had a habit of zoning out during the sex, though. It had taken years of training, but it was worth it. Not having to endure it all consciously was worth everything. This was nothing compared to what he was used to, unfortunately. He just applied the whole zoning out trick during every session, to make it easier for him. It didn’t take long for Hensley to come, filling the boy up with his disgusting seed. Luke felt dirty when he cleaned himself off, dirty as always. 

‘Eh… The money?’ he asked, coughing from the gag that had made his throat dry. 

‘It’s on the bedside table.’ There was an envelope, and it was heavy. Luke sometimes wondered how much money was in an envelope like that, how much the men paid for him, but they were always sealed, and he didn’t dare open them. One day he’d have to know. Today was not that day. He nodded and took the envelope. 

‘Thank you.’ The man kissed both his cheeks in a greeting manner, the way you would greet a decadent lady. ‘I… Where do I exit?’ This was something that happened just sometimes, that the clients invited him to their own home. Apparently Hensley had wanted to corrupt his marital bed, because they had done it in his house. If you really thought about it, it was a lot to take in. Luke preferred to not overthink it. To do his job and go back home. 

‘The front door is fine. I checked the security cameras.’ The blond nodded, securing the cash filled envelope in the inside pocket of his jacket. ‘See you next week.’ And with that, he bonjoured Luke right out of the door. The blond quickly got into the back of the black rover. 

‘Welcome back,’ said Jacques, driving off as soon as Luke had fastened his seatbelt. The blond didn’t respond, and it was quiet for a while, until the driver looked at him through the rearview mirror. ‘Hello?’ 

‘What?’ He sounded slightly upset, but that was only part of the plan. 

‘Did Hensley give you a hard time?’ asked Jacques.  _ Not really _ .

‘Yeah,’ he lied. ‘He… I don’t wanna talk about it.’ He saw the man hesitating, but he kept his mouth closed. It was wise of him, but Luke needed his cigarettes. ‘I could really go for a smoke right now,’ he hinted. ‘It was just… It was rough.’

‘I’ll get you a box at the gas station.’ 

‘Really?’ Luke smiled brightly. ‘I would love that. I’m… I just really need to smoke, y’know, to stay sane.’ Jacques always seemed to feel a little bad for them. It wasn’t fair to abuse that, but nothing in this life was particularly fair. Luke thought it was fine. 

‘But you know the rules.’ 

‘If Banks finds out, I got them from the client.’ Jacques high-fived him, and drove to the gas station. 


	2. Chapter 2

‘G, I have a question.’ Calum was always very straight-forward. It almost usually got him in trouble, but sometimes it was very practical to have somebody like that around. Luke and he were chilling in the lounge set in the backyard. The sun was harsh and reflected in the pool. The kids were blowing bubbles, entertaining themselves just fine. Gerald frowned. 

‘Ask away.’ Luke was rather scared of what would be next to come out of Calum’s mouth.

‘How much money do you make?’ It made Gerald laugh, which was one of the two expected outcomes. It would have been either him punching Calum in the face or him bursting out in laughter. Gerald was, like most people in this “industry”, very unpredictable. 

‘I live comfortably.’ His voice was gravelly. 

‘That’s exactly what a stupid rich person would say,’ noted the boy. ‘You obviously make quite a bit of money, y’know, keeping us prisoners and all.’ It was silent for about half a minute, during which Calum looked at the security guard with the most uncomfortably penetrating gaze Luke had ever seen on him. ‘But, G, are you  _ happy _ ?’ The man just kept on chuckling.

‘I’m good, Calum, thank you.’ The boy nodded, but was obviously not satisfied with the answer, so he opened his mouth again, a questioning look on his face. 

‘But really think about it. What  _ is _ happiness?’ 

‘Calum, I’m not having this conversation with you. Go do something useful with your time.’

‘Gerald, I have nothing but time.’ Calum was actually quite clever. He would probably have gotten straight A’s if he’d ever had the opportunity to go to school. ‘Literally.’

‘Well, I don’t.’ He stood up, saluting them. ‘I’m gonna get ready to go home. Eli will be here in about 10 minutes.’ Luke moaned bitterly. ‘Oh, come on, he isn’t that bad.’ That set off Calum and Luke disagreeing with that statement, talking through each other about how terrible Eli was to be around. ‘Okay, okay, I get it. I’m still leaving, though.’ Gerald had a wife at home, no kids though. He didn’t talk about her much, but then again, he didn’t talk much about anything. They said their goodbyes and watched him go inside the house. 

‘Okay, we have a 10 minute window to have a smoke now,’ Luke quickly stated, jumping to his feet. Calum did the same thing. They quickly darted to their hiding place behind the garden shed. It was the place they would always hide when they were kids. Eventually, Banks had found out about it and it was no longer effective. It was a great to smoke with nobody seeing it, though. They both lit a cigarette and sat down against the back of the shed.

‘I really needed this,’ sighed Calum. ‘You don’t have an appointment tonight, right?’  Luke took a whiff of his cigarette and shook his head. 

‘No,’ he affirmed. ‘I don’t have anything.’ He always looked forward to Wednesdays. He usually never had clients on that day, except maybe once every other month or so. ‘It’s such a relief, whenever Wednesday rolls around.’ He chuckled. ‘How’s your week off been treating you?’ Calum blew out his smoke.

‘I’m only on day two, but I could get used to this. I shouldn’t, but I could.’ Luke nodded. He understood that. They sat in silence for a while, and it was peaceful for a moment. For a very short moment. Before either of them knew it, somebody had stormed around the corner of the shed. It was Banks, of all people. What the _fuck_ was he doing here? It was instinctual, purely out of fear and the for some strange reason still prominently present urge to survive; Luke _ran_. It was selfish, because he knew that that meant Banks would go after Calum first, but he couldn’t help it. He sprinted off, throwing his cigarette down somewhere along the way. He didn’t know where he was running off to, but it was still the first thing he had done. The realization that he had made this much worse for himself only dawned upon him about a minute later, when he was standing in the middle of the living room, not knowing where to go. He went upstairs to the kids’ bedrooms and hid in one of the closets, throwing some clothes over himself. It felt safe for a minute, but he knew it was only a temporary solution. This had happened so many times. _So_ many times. It had never ended well before, so why would it now?  
He wished he had never gotten that pack of cigarettes. Banks was so against smoking. He thought it was gross, and a lot of the clients did as well. Banks’ kids could never show up at an appointment smelling of cigarette smoke. They paid for them to smell like roses. That was the least they expected for the money they spent.   
Luke heard footsteps from outside the closet. 

‘Sweetheart,’ he heard the man’s vile voice. ‘I know you’re in here somewhere, and you and I both know that it’s best for both of us if you come out right now.’ He had been quick. Maybe he had left Calum alone without doing too much damage first. ‘Come on out, baby.’ He heard him opening all the closet doors, and his heart was racing out of his chest. ‘If you come out right now I’ll go easy on you.’ Well, that was just a lie. Luke couldn’t believe Banks would think he’d still fall for that. He fell for it multiple times when he was a kid, but he was 18 now. He had been through this whole ordeal so many times that he knew exactly how the man was going to react. ‘Luke, I need you to come out  _ right now _ . We need to talk about something.’ What did he need to  _ talk _ to him about? They never talked. It was all yelling and spitting and beating. He opened the door to the closet Luke was in, but he was underneath a pile of clothes. His eyes were shut tightly and he held his breath. It wasn’t enough. ‘There you are. Come, boy.’ He nodded, not saying anything. Banks held his arm softly and helped him out of the closet. He was careful, as if he didn’t want to bruise him. He led the blond to his own bedroom, and sat him down on the bed. ‘I don’t want you to smoke again.’ Luke nodded. ‘It’s bad for your skin and it smells very bad. So you’re not going to do it again, understood?’ The blond nodded again, this time more convincingly. ‘Words.’ 

‘I won’t smoke again,’ he whispered. Banks made him feel like a little boy. He got nervous and panicked when he was around. He had done so many terrible things to Luke, had robbed him of so much. It wasn’t all that weird that he was this uncomfortable around the man.

‘I told Calum the same thing.’ Something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. He hadn’t laid a finger on Luke yet, and had, by the sound of it, also let Calum get away. That could only mean one thing: there was news, and it wasn’t good. ‘So, I wanted to talk to you about something.’ There it was. ‘I have a new client for you.’ Luke swallowed his spittle and nodded timidly. ‘It’s nothing to worry about, really, but it is very last minute. He’s expecting you tonight at 11pm.’ The boy bit his lower lip. ‘Because we have a very large clientele and a lot of them are asking for you, specifically, there isn’t much room for more appointments. He was very persistent, however, and is therefore paying much more than other clients. Are you following?’ Luke nodded. He didn’t know what was next. ‘He’s taking over the Wednesdays, but said that there is a possibility he will want to see you multiple times a week, if, of course, you live up to his expectations.’ Multiple times per week? Who was this man and what, in the name of God, did he do that made that much money? ‘I need you to perform very well tonight. I know it is very last minute, but this is a huge client, and as I said, he is paying a hefty price, to say the least. If, after tonight, he wants to see you multiple times a week, I’m going to cancel Mr. Carson for you.’ Luke’s eyes widened. 

‘R-R-Really?’ he stuttered. 

‘Yes, really.’ Banks smiled. His teeth were whitened and too straight. ‘That is, if you can pull tonight’s client in for multiple times a week.’ 

‘I… I will. I… Yeah, I will try my best.’

‘I know you will.’

-

The new client had invited him over to his mansion. It looked like a palace, with a fountain out front, and incredibly expensive cars parked on the property. Luke was a nervous wreck. He had to perform well tonight. If he didn’t, then 1) Banks would be very angry and/or disappointment, and 2) he would have to keep seeing Jeremy Carson. The idea of the man made his stomach churn. He felt sick.

‘Remember, pull this client in and you are freed from your biggest nightmare,’ winked Jacques. He knew all about Mr. Carson, had been driving the blond to him for years now. It wasn’t unusual for Luke to come back to the car crying. ‘You’re going to be fine, Luke. Just do your best, there’s nothing more you can do.’ The blond nodded. ‘Good luck in there.’  

‘Thank you.’ His voice was quiet. He got out of the car and walked onto the property, through the gates that the client had opened for Jacques a minute beforehand. He walked up to the door, where a young woman waited for him. She had a soft and empathetic smile on her face. 

‘Come on in,’ she welcomed him. ‘Luke, is it?’ The blond nodded.

‘Yes, thank you, miss.’ He didn’t know the situation, per se, but carefully guessed that she was either a housekeeper or an assistant. The mansion’s interior was incredible. It looked chic and expensive, all of it. Luke didn’t dare touch anything. He didn’t want to ruin this for the life of him. There was too much at stake. 

‘Mr. Irwin!’ the woman called. A man came walking around the corner. He looked neat, wearing a button-up, dress pants and patent leathers. He looked intimidating, but was quite handsome. 

‘Thank you, Lia, I will take it from here.’ His voice was raspy and dark. The woman walked away. ‘I’m Ashton Irwin.’ He shook Luke’s hand. 

‘Luke,’ he introduced himself sharply. He needed to stay confident, even though his knees were wobbly. He was nervous. It had been a while since he had gotten a new client. There being a reward if he performed well… God, the last time that had been a thing must have been when he was a child. Maybe 11 years old. What was this man going to be like? 

‘Okay, Luke, it is very nice to meet you.’ He turned on his heels. ‘Follow me, please.’ The blond nodded and followed the man, his heart was beating in his throat. ‘Have a seat, make yourself comfortable.’ There was a brown Restoration Hardware couch, and he timidly sat down on it. It was warm in the living room. He could sit, sure, but there was no way he would make himself comfortable. ‘Do you want something to drink?’

‘I… Yes, that would be nice.’ Mr. Irwin left the room after nodding with a frown. Luke wondered if this was his first time paying for sex. He came back a minute later with two glasses of red wine. He set them down on the coffee table and sat down on the couch next to the blond.

‘I don’t know whether or not you’re a big wine drinker, but I’m sure you will like this one.’ The blond nodded. He wasn’t allowed to drink alcohol, unless a client offered it to him. It didn’t quite matter whether or not he liked the taste of the wine. Alcohol helped loosen him up. They toasted. ‘Are you nervous, Lucas? You don’t seem at ease.’  Oh, no,  _ no _ , he needed to change his posture. The man had to love this experience with him. He needed Carson out of his life.

‘I’m alright,’ he smiled, looking up through his lashes seductively. ‘I’m sorry if I seem a little uncomfortable. It has nothing to do with you, Sir, I just haven’t had a new client in a while.’ He was honestly speaking the truth. Irwin nodded. 

‘Okay, I understand that, then. But I mean it, make yourself comfortable.’ The blond took a sip of his wine. Irwin followed. ‘We should get acquainted, first. I am quite curious about you.’ Luke really, really needed more wine to get through this. He had to keep his head in the game, now. There was no way of zoning out when it became too much. He had to  _ talk _ . ‘Lucas, I am paying a lot of money for the time I have with you. I would like you to speak to me.’ 

‘Of course, Sir, excuse me.’ Luke didn’t know what to say. ‘What do you want to know about me?’ He was barely allowed to have a personality. Take a normal person, then take away all of their hobbies, surroundings, family and friends; take away everything that could make a person interesting. Luke was what was left. 

‘What do you like doing, at home?’ Luke didn’t know how to answer that. Sit around and hope that things got better? Play with the small children that would be driven to appointments right after? Help fucking cover up wounds and scars and bruises? 

‘I like to read books.’ 

‘Interesting. What kind of books do you read?’

‘Anything. I have a lot of time on my hands. I’ve recently started getting into psychology.’ Irwin nodded. He looked quite impressed. Luke wasn’t lying. If you have as much time as Banks’ kids, you’ll educate yourself. School wasn’t nice, and studying under pressure wasn’t great either, but opening a book  _ you _ want to read? Luke couldn’t imagine life without books. He was pulled out of school at 6 years old. He couldn’t do basic math for the life of him, but there were definitely some things that weren’t peculiarly hard to self-teach. 

‘That sounds very interesting, Lucas.’ The boy wanted to lash out and say that it was just Luke, but he couldn’t. He was whoever Mr. Irwin wanted him to be for the next hour, or hour _ s _ . 

‘And you, Sir? What do you do for a living?’ He thought that asking the man questions as well would make him look more interested. He wasn’t really, though, he wanted to get the fuck out of there. May as well make the best of the time you have to sit through, though, thought Luke.

‘I am the CEO of Uber.’ Luke nodded. This man had to be insanely rich and powerful.

‘How is that? Being the CEO of something that huge?’ Luke had heard of Uber. He was allowed to watch TV, and got some internet time sometimes. 

‘Incredible, it has really become an empire.’ 

‘You are very young to have an empire like that, aren’t you?’

‘I really am,’ Irwin laughed. ‘I’m 28. Mark Zuckerberg was barely 20 when he launched Facebook, though. I’m definitely not the youngest successful entrepreneur out there.’ Luke wondered why he had contacted Banks. What was his motive? He had no clue. ‘What did you always want to be when you grew up?’ A knot formed in Luke’s stomach.

‘I… I don’t remember,’ he answered, trying to shrug off the nauseous feeling. 

‘That’s… I’m sorry for asking.’ Irwin remained quiet for a while as they both sipped their wine. ‘How long have you been doing this for?’ 

‘I’m not allowed to answer questions about work,’ Luke swallowed his spittle. He didn’t want to, either. Why was Irwin even interested in that, anyways? Was he? Or was this just a way to fill the time before he would take the blond? 

‘Oh, okay.’ He scratched behind his ear. ‘Do you… I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about how you live, and I don’t know what I can and can’t ask.

‘That’s fine, Mr. Irwin, we don’t have to talk.’ The blond scooted towards the man and put his hand on his chest. ‘We can do other things, you know?’ He needed to look willing and ready at first. That was what drew them in. He needed, _needed_ Mr. Irwin to take him for multiple nights a week. He didn’t know what the man would be like, in bed, but it couldn’t be worse than Carson. Nothing was worse than Carson.   
Luke kissed the man’s neck softly, looking up at him in a questioning manner. The man nodded, a deep sigh escaping from his mouth. He kissed the boy, stroking his jaw, before pulling him onto his lap. He shook his head.

‘Luke, you’re great. Let’s… Let’s have some more wine, okay?’ 

‘Sir, don’t you want to make a test ride before you close the deal? You… You  _ are _ going to close the deal, right?’ He looked panicked. If the man didn’t want to fuck him right now, there was a chance he wouldn’t want to, at all. That would mean he wouldn’t take over the Wednesdays, and wouldn’t take him for multiple days a week, which-

‘Are you alright, Luke?’ He hadn’t even noticed that he was hyperventilating. He nodded, trying to catch his breath. ‘Do you… Do you want a glass of water or something?’ 

‘No, no, I’m okay.’ He calmed himself down and took another sip of the blood red wine. Irwin was frowning, but he looked rather sympathetic.

‘Why did you panic like that, sweetheart? Do you… What happens if I don’t close the deal?’ Luke shook his head.

‘I’m sorry, I can’t tell you.’ 

‘Why not? Does… Luke, what happens?’ 

‘It’s okay if you don’t close the deal, Sir, I promise. I would just… I would love to see you again.’ He didn’t sound very convincing, but Irwin nodded doubtfully. ‘You can think about it, obviously. And… And you’ll want to try before you buy.’

‘ _ Buy _ ,’ mumbled Irwin. ‘Do you want to have sex with me?’

‘Of course, Sir, that is what I’m here for, aren’t I?’ Irwin bit his lower lip and nodded, but he looked rather conflicted. ‘Then let’s do it.’

‘I mean, you’re not here  _ just _ so I can fuck you, Lucas, I don’t want you to think that.’ Luke chuckled a little.

‘Mr. Irwin, it is fine, I promise,’ giggled the blond. ‘There’s nothing wrong with you just wanting a quick fuck, hopefully multiple times a week.’ He wiggled his eyebrows.

‘I’m definitely not going to pay this much money for a quick fuck,’ winked the man. ‘I am also looking for your company.’

‘Sir, if you don’t mind me asking: why don’t you just find yourself a boyfriend or husband if you are in need of some company and sex? Why would you contact Banks and have me over? You’re a handsome man. It can’t be that hard for you.’ Irwin shook his head, his face went cold.

‘I have a fiancée, a woman,’ he said, voice icey and monotone. Of course he was engaged. ‘The world can’t find out that I am gay.’ Oh, damn, no bisexual talk. He was very straight-forward, Luke thought. ‘It would be a scandal.’ That was  _ a lot _ . The blond nodded, even though he disagreed with that statement with every hair on his body and every vessel in his blood. 

‘Okay, Sir, that is clear.’ Luke smiled. ‘You’re not the only one, Mr. Irwin, it is very common for queer men in the public eye to contact Banks and schedule appointments.’ 

‘You really have been getting into psychology, haven’t you?’ Luke chuckled dryly.

‘I mean… Yeah, I guess I picked some things up,’ he explained. ‘but I do mean it. You don’t have to feel bad about it. I’m trying to say that it happens a lot.’ 

‘Are you gay?’ Luke frowned.

‘I mean, I guess so?’ He had thought about it when he was younger, but had never gotten the freedom to explore his sexuality, so he didn’t  _ really _ know. 

‘I’m only asking because I would like for you to enjoy the sex, too.’ Luke nodded. Not many of the clients really cared about that, but he did understand where the man was coming from. ‘It’s better if both the parties enjoy it.’ 

‘That sounds fair, yeah.’ Irwin chuckled. ‘So, do you want to?’

‘Right now?’ The blond nodded. ‘I mean, yes, sure. You’re very pretty, Luke.’ 

‘Thank you, Sir.’  He started to undress, slowly letting the bordeaux colored silky button-up slide off his shoulders. He looked up through his lashes again, trying to look a bit doe-like. ‘Do you want to touch me, Mr. Irwin?’  The man smirked.

‘Go ahead, undress yourself pretty boy.’ He stripped, putting on a little show. ‘That’s it.’ He palmed himself through his pants. ‘There you go, baby boy, take those off too.’ He obeyed, taking his boxer shorts off as well. He was completely nude, now, nude and vulnerable. The man eyed him like he was hungry and Luke was fresh meat. ‘Come here.’ He tiptoed towards the man, swaying his hips. He needed to lure the man in, perform the way he was taught, or better than that. His head was spinning with Carson and the way he treated him. Never again, he never had to see him again if he could  _ just _ pull Mr. Irwin in. 

‘What do you want me to do, Sir?’ His voice was shaky. He leaned forwards and pecked the man on the side of his mouth. ‘Do you want my mouth? My hands?’

‘Your mouth, baby, let’s see what that mouth can do,’ Irwin decided. Luke dropped to his knees. The carpet beneath him was soft and fuzzy. He was thankful there was no hardwood floor underneath the couch. It would leave him with bruises for days. It always did. He undid the gentleman’s belt and slowly pulled down his pants, before mouthing at the bulge in his boxers. The man breathed heavily, and Luke could hear it. He went on for a while. ‘Take them off, yeah beauty? Such a beautiful boy.’ The blond liked it when people praised him. It was part of how he was raised. It had always been either getting praised or getting beaten. There was such a big difference between the two of those that they could never be confused.   
He took off Irwin’s underwear and blew softly on the tip of his cock, before giving it a lick. Years of practice had taught him what most men liked. He took him into his mouth, angling his head to the side so he could slide down his throat. Irwin tasted salty. He had no gag reflex left. The man wasn’t loud, like some clients were. Luke sucked, hollowed his cheeks, licked and made slurping noises until Irwin decided that it was enough for now. He let go off the head with a pop. There was saliva all around his lips. 

‘Was that okay for you, Sir?’ he asked raspily, his throat a little sore. 

‘Very good, sweetheart,’ Irwin smiled, his forehead covered in beads of sweat. ‘Let me open you up, yeah?’ Luke nodded. Of course he nodded. It wasn’t like he could say no. It was alright. This wasn’t the worst. ‘C’mere.’ Luke sat down on the man’s lap, legs on both sides of his hips. ‘There you go, gonna go ahead and finger you now.’ He let the blond suck on his fingers for a while, before he reached behind him and prodded at him. He slipped one finger in at first, and moved it slowly. ‘How does that feel, sweetheart?’

‘Good, Sir, feels very good.’ It didn’t. He added another finger, and another. Luke rode his digits and the man scissored them inside him. 

‘There you go, baby. Ready for me now?’ 

‘Yeah, ‘m ready.’ Irwin pulled out his fingers and wiped them on Luke’s bare hip. He wet his cock with his own saliva and lifted the boy up a little. Before he knew it, Luke could feel his head slipping into him. ‘You’re big,’ the boy said, breathing heavily. That was actually true, too. Luke had seen quite the amount of penises in his life, and Mr. Irwin was most certainly in the top 10, maybe even in the top 5. It hurt, when he bottomed out, but Luke could take it. He tried not to zone out right away. It was important right now that he was there, that he checked whether the man was enjoying himself once in a while. So that was what he did. He bounced up and down Irwin’s cock, the head sharply hitting his prostate with every thrust. It was actually quite good. 

‘Are you okay?’ the man asked, panting. ‘Luke?’

‘Yes, Sir, I’m good. Just…’ He moaned. His thighs were sore from all the riding and he felt lightheaded. Droplets of sweat were prominent on his forehead. ‘Feels so good.’ And it was still good. He’d been fucked so many times in his short life, but he was still a teenager. When men weren’t too forceful with him, he could still enjoy sex. He could still orgasm, if the client let him. He liked being on top. It made him feel like he had a sense of control, something he was in no way used to. 

‘Yeah, baby? My cock making you feel good?’ He groaned loudly. ‘Gonna come soon, princess. There you go, up and down.’ He grabbed Luke by the hips and pushed him down, all the way down his shaft, leaving him there. He thrusted like a mad man, still, and Luke zoned out. It was too much. There was too much pressure on his prostate. It started to hurt. So he didn’t even notice the man started talking to him. His eyes were open, but he couldn’t see. They rolled backwards every so often. ‘Luke, fuck, are you there?’ He heard him, but he couldn’t respond. The man stopped his movements. ‘Luke, look at me, yeah?’ The boy nodded, trying to focus on Irwin’s face. ‘There you go. You zoned out.’ 

‘S-Sorry,’ the blond apologized. ‘I… You can move.’ He nodded skeptically, and started slowly building up a rhythm again. It wasn’t long until he came, filling the boy up. Luke didn’t come. He hopped off of his lap after the man was done.

‘Hey, hey, come here,’ smiled Mr. Irwin, a friendly look on his face. Luke looked very fucked out and he knew it. ‘You didn’t come.’ The blond shook his head. 

‘That’s okay, Sir.’ 

‘No, baby, that’s not okay.’ The man kissed his forehead. ‘Let me take care of you, yeah?’ 

‘You don’t have to, Mr. Irwin.’ But the man looked determined. He took Luke’s erection in his hand, and the boy almost immediately jerked forward. He hadn’t been touched at all, there. It made him feel a lot of things. His entire body was tense, and his muscles felt like they were in knots. He didn’t want to come right away, he didn’t want to seem pathetic. He needed to lure the man in. The thought of Carson made him whimper, an anxious look spreading over his face. 

‘Relax, baby, just surrender to the feeling, yeah?’ He kissed Luke on the lips. ‘You’re okay, you’re safe.’ The boy didn’t think he’d ever had anyone say that to him before. ‘You’re safe with me, you don’t have to worry. I won’t hurt you, yeah?’ Luke nodded, but there was still some anxiety in his eyes. ‘You can come, baby, don’t hold back. I’m here, yeah? I’m right here.’ That drove him over the edge. He shot hot white ribbons of cum all over his lower belly, mewling like a wounded cat. ‘There you go, sweetheart.’ He pecked his forehead once again. ‘Very good.’ He was still coming down from his own high. ‘Do you wanna take a shower, sweetie?’

‘I… I can also just clean up with a damp towel, if you have one? It… It’s quicker.’ Irwin frowned. 

‘Pretty sure I’ve got you for another hour or so, maybe even longer.’ His fingers combed through Luke’s curls. ‘If you wanna take a shower, you can. You obviously don’t have to, but some nice hot water sure seems pretty good right now, doesn’t it?’ Luke nodded skeptically. He never really took showers at the clients’ houses, but if Irwin wanted him to, then he was fine with it. It did sound very appealing, really being able to clean himself. ‘Come, let me show you the bathroom.’ He walked after the man like he was being held on a leash. The bathroom was spacious and luxurious, complete with Italian marble and silver detailing. The man turned on the shower. ‘There you go, hop on in,’ Irwin encouraged the blond. ‘I’ll fetch your clothes.’ 

‘Thank you, Sir,’ whispered Luke, just loud enough for Irwin to hear him. He stepped under the hot stream of water, enjoying the feeling of it hitting his cold body. It had been a very long time since he had showered anywhere that wasn’t the villa on Outpost Drive. He washed himself carefully, trying to avoid touching his sensitive parts as much as he could. Mr. Irwin came back into the bathroom when he was almost finished drying off.

‘I put your clothes down on the bed, first door on your left hand if you walk out of here.’ He pointed at a door. ‘I’m gonna rinse off real quick too, alright?’ Luke nodded. ‘When you’re dressed you can, eh… you can wait for me in the bedroom, or go downstairs and make yourself comfy on the couch again. I don’t mind.’ The blond nodded again, and watched the man get into the shower he’d just gotten out of. He swiftly left the room and headed to the place where his clothes were indeed laid out on the bed. There was a fresh pair of socks and boxers, too, which the boy appreciated immensely. He was used to putting on his used underwear after an appointment, but he usually didn’t get to shower. It would just be uncomfortable to put them back on. He waited in the bedroom when he was finished getting ready. He was too nervous to go downstairs on his own. Irwin walked into the room with a towel hanging from his hips. He smiled. ‘Decided to wait for me here?’

‘Eh, yeah, I… I don’t know, it’s your home, I didn’t want to overstep any boundaries.’ 

‘I liked having you here tonight, Lucas,’ said the man, out of nowhere. ‘I really liked having you here.’

‘Does that mean…’ He looked at Irwin with an intensely expectant gaze.

‘Yes, I’ll take you for multiple times a week; I’ll close the deal. The test ride was amazing.’ He winked. ‘Glad I got to try before the buy.’ 


	3. Chapter 3

Luke was over the moon when he came back home to tell Banks the good news. He was so happy,  _ so _ happy that he wouldn’t have to see Carson anymore. Mr. Irwin was nice to him, he was actually a half-decent human being, which wasn’t something he could say about most other clients.

‘Banks!’ he yelled when he stormed into the villa, Jacques walking after him. He was also quite ecstatic. Luke had never been this excited to go back into the house. There had been many times in which Jacques had to call Gerald or Eli to force him back in, because he wouldn’t budge. Him quite literally running into the house was… well, it was new.   
Harrison came walking into the hallway. Luke hadn’t been positive that he would still be there, but he was, and the blond was relieved. 

‘And?’ he asked from the other side of the corridor. Luke nodded heavily.

‘I did it! He wants me multiple times a week!’ Banks pretty much came running, and he lifted the blond up, which made him squeal. It had been a long time since he’d last seen the man this happy. He was always angry, it seemed.

‘I’m so proud of you, Luke! This is  _ amazing _ .’ Luke almost saw dollar signs in his eyes. It was actually quite disgusting, but he ignored it. ‘You did so well, Lukey.’ He kissed his cheek and put him back onto his feet. Luke beamed. ‘Do you have any bruises? Need any aloe?’

‘No,’ smiled the blond, almost like he was proud of it, which, in reality, he actually kind of was.

‘Shower?’

‘Already showered at Mr. Irwin’s place.’ Banks frowned. ‘He… He was very persistent. I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.’ The man nodded.

‘Very good.’ Jacques handed him the envelop. Luke always had to hand it over to the driver as soon as he got into the car, as if he would throw it out of the fucking window or something. He wasn’t  _ stupid _ . ‘I got you something in case you’d close the deal.’ The blond’s ears perked up.

‘You… You got me something?’ The man nodded and walked away. He came back with a big, heavy box in his hands. He gave it to the boy. 

‘There you go, open it up.’ Luke did. The box was red with pretty patterns on it, and it was filled with all sorts of goodies. Nice shampoo, body lotions and butters, fancy looking chocolates, christmas lights, and so on. It was all quite valuable for someone who wasn’t allowed to leave the house, and it was a nice gesture, so he was very happy with it. 

‘Thank you,’ he smiled. ‘This is really nice. You… You didn’t have to do that.’ 

‘I know, but I thought you’d like to redecorate your bedroom, since it’s been the same way for a while,’ Banks noted. ‘And this shampoo,’ he pointed at a red and white tube. ‘used to be your favorite, when you were a kid.’ The blond opened the tube, flicking the top off, and took a whiff. A lot of memories came crashing down on him, right then, and his stomach churned. The scent was familiar. It was heavy, indescribable. He smiled weakly.

‘Thank you, Banks, I appreciate it.’

‘I’m very proud of you for luring Mr. Irwin in for multiple times a week, Luke, it is truly incredible.’ He kissed his forehead. Luke cringed. ‘How was he?’ 

‘He wasn’t bad,’ he said, honestly. ‘I actually thought he was quite pleasant.’

‘He got you off, then?’ The blond blushed furiously, and nodded timidly. He didn’t like talking about these things with anybody, but especially not with Banks. ‘Does that happen a lot?’

‘Eh, no, not really.’ He couldn’t shake the crimson red color off of his cheeks. 

‘So he was nice to you?’

‘He wasn’t bad, no, he… I don’t know. I was just really good to him, because, y’know, I had a pretty big motivation to make him want me.’ Banks nodded. ‘I’m just… I’m  _ really _ happy I never have to see Carson again.’

‘I can only imagine,’ smiled the man. He looked the boy up and down, taking in his small physique. ‘You’re exhausted. Go to bed.’ The boy nodded. ‘I’m staying here tonight.’

‘Really?’ It had been a very long time since Banks had stayed the night on Outpost Drive. He would usually stop by a couple of times a week, but pretty much always slept at home, where his wife awaited him. ‘How come?’ Banks shrugged.

‘It’s late. I don’t want to drive back home.’ It was late, a little past 3am. ‘Go to bed, yeah? I’ll join you in a minute.’ Luke’s blood ran cold.

‘W- What?’

‘I’ll sleep with you, tonight. There’s no spare bed for me to sleep in, anymore, now that Billie has his own room.’ Billie turned 16 last week, and Banks had decided to give him the last bedroom, because the boy was quite popular and needed privacy to recharge. Luke swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. ‘I’ll see you in a bit, alright? Go brush your teeth.’ 

Luke was always afraid of Banks. Of course he was afraid of him, terrified even. He’d brought him into the flaming pile of shit that was his life. He got ready for bed and lied down, covering himself with the blankets, wearing a big, soft sweater and sweatpants. He usually slept in his underwear, but there was no way he’d do that if Banks was in bed next to him. 

‘Hi, baby.’ The man crawled in bed next to him, and Luke’s heart raced. ‘’m So proud of you.’ He kissed his neck. ‘You did so well today.’ His hand traveled south, and he slid it into Luke’s pants and boxers. His cold hand wrapped around his limp dick. Luke was going to throw up.

‘Please don’t,’ he whispered. 

‘Ssh,’ shushed the man. ‘It’ll be fine, yeah? It’ll be over before you know it.’ Luke nodded.

He fucked him raw, and Luke felt used, disgusting, overstimulated, betrayed… He felt _ everything _ . When the man was done using the boy’s body, he rolled over and went to sleep. Luke got up and threw up his dinner and the wine he’d had at Mr. Irwin’s house. Then he went back to bed, and fell asleep. He had a nightmare about Carson.

-

When he woke up the next morning, he found himself in a strange situation. He was crying, and Calum was in bed with him, rocking him back and forth, whispering sweet nothings at him. Banks was gone. Luke had been crying in his sleep. That was fucked up.

‘Morning,’ smiled Calum sadly. ‘Are you okay?’ Luke shrugged,

‘Been better,’ he chuckled. ‘but I’m alright.’ He dried his tears with the duvet. ‘Thanks for, y’know, comforting me in my sleep.’ The older boy chuckled, too. 

‘How was last night?’ 

‘Mr. Irwin was not as bad as I’d expected,’ he started. ‘He actually got me off. Was really persistent about me coming, too, because it was better if both people felt good.’

‘Wow, he said that?’

‘Yeah man, and he was like, telling me I was safe with him, stuff like that. And once I, like, surrendered to the feeling, I came really hard.’ Calum moved to sit down more comfortably and noticed that he was sitting in dried sperm. He pulled a face.

‘And then you did it again.’

‘Oh, no, that’s not mine. That’s Banks’.’ Calum jumped - actually fucking  _ jumped _ \- off the bed, then, screaming “ew” and “oh my god” as he ran out of the room.

‘That’s disgusting,’ he groaned when he came back. Luke had positioned himself with his back against the headboard. He nodded. ‘So let me get this straight. You came back here, having closed the deal?’ It was an actual question, because he hadn’t actually talked to him about that yet. Luke nodded, smiling weakly. ‘You closed the deal, congrats, and then Banks decides he’s gonna fuck you? That’s his way of showing gratitude?’ The blond shrugged.

‘I guess so.’

-

The big benefit gala was that Friday night, and it started at 7pm. Luke was nervous. Calum wasn’t coming with him, because he was still enjoying his well-deserved week off. They usually went to shit like this together. He’d never done this alone, and he wasn’t happy about it. 

‘Do you want a glass of champagne, Luke?’ asked Banks. A waiter with a tray of glasses came by. The boy nodded. Harrison handed him a glass of bubbly. 

‘Thank you, Sir.’ He sipped slowly as they walked around the ballroom. 

‘Harrison Banks!’ a Valentino clad man said. They were immediately shaking hands and laughing. They talked for a minute, about the wives and their businesses, before the man’s attention shifted to Luke. ‘And who might this be?’ His eyes were piercing and all over him. It was uncomfortable. This wasn’t something you could get used to. 

‘This is my nephew, Luke.’ That was always their story. All of the kids were nephews and nieces. It was actually really gross, considering what he did to them. Everybody knew better, but they all played along. For Banks’ sake, and for their own. 

‘Nice to meet you, Luke, I’m Paul Rodriguez, your uncle’s favorite business partner.’ He winked at the small blond.

‘Pleased to meet you, Mr. Rodriguez.’ He sipped from his champagne. ‘So, you are my uncle’s business partner. What do you do, exactly?’ The two older men shared a look, which made Luke immediately retract his question. ‘My apologies, I didn’t mean to cross a line.’

‘It’s alright, Lucas, don’t worry about it,’ smiled Paul, but he didn’t end up actually answering the question Luke had asked. Banks talked to Rodriguez for a while, and Luke just stood there, sipping his drink as he looked around the ballroom. It was large, and there were a lot of people. Everybody looked fancy. They always did. His eyes scanned the room thoughtlessly, until they met a pair of very familiar hazel eyes. It was Mr. Irwin. He looked very good, dressed in a blue suit with a vague, checkered pattern and a smooth tie lying calmly on his chest. Luke smiled, and the man came walking up to him. 

‘Luke,’ exclaimed the man, rubbing the boy’s shoulder with a genuine smile. ‘Fancy seeing you here. I didn’t know you attended such events.’ He said it like it was a magical get-together. It wasn’t. It was people consuming expensive food and drinks that had a percentage of the money raised going to a charity they knew nothing about, with the sole purpose of feeling good about themselves, and making a positive appearance in the media. 

‘Of course I do,’ the blond said, smirking a little. ‘I could say the same thing about you, but I had kind of expected you here.’ He finished his glass. The man frowned, which the boy answered with a shrug. ‘It’s good press.’

‘I guess that’s definitely true,’ muttered the man. ‘I would’ve donated without press, too.’ Luke nodded politely. He didn’t believe it, though. Nobody donates money just  _ because _ . There’s always an ulterior motive to a good deed. 

‘How have you been since I last saw you, eh, two days ago?’ It made Irwin laugh.

‘I have been good,’ he chuckled. ‘We experienced some technical difficulties, at Uber, so I had to step in to send a bunch of people to a bunch of locations, like I’m in human resources. Pretty crazy days, so, but I’m good. How have you been?’

‘Fine,’ he smiled courteously. ‘Haven’t had anything interesting happen since Wednesday.’ He looked around. ‘Are you alone?’

‘No, my fiancée is here as well. I haven’t seen her in a minute, though, might want to go find her in a second.’ Luke nodded. He noticed Banks staring at them, as they conversed.

‘Hi,’ he said, squinting his eyes. He held his hand out for Irwin to shake. ‘I’m Harrison Banks. You look familiar. Have we met?’ 

‘Ashton Irwin,’ nodded the man. 

‘Oh, now I see it. Luke was very enthusiastic about you, on Wednesday night.’ Irwin smirked. ‘I’m glad to meet you in person. It’s always nice knowing who I send my sweetheart to.’ He wrapped a protective arm around the blond’s waist, as if to say “ _ mine _ ”. 

‘Yes, good to meet you as well,’ nodded the man. ‘Happy to hear Lucas enjoyed our time together.’ He didn’t look at the boy, didn’t even seem to acknowledge the fact that he was still standing there. Banks had created a distance between them. It didn’t go unnoticed, though. Luke wrenched himself out of Harrison’s grip and walked up to one of the waiters. He made small talk with him, and took another glass of champagne. When he turned back to Banks and Irwin, he noticed a new presence. A blonde woman in a black sequin cocktail dress. The dress had an incredibly deep V-neck, which she perfectly pulled off with her small breasts. He carefully tiptoed back to the businessmen. He swiftly went to stand next to Banks, where he belonged. By his side, like a loyal dog. 

‘Luke, this is my fiancée,’ smiled Mr. Irwin after a while. 

‘Jordyn,’ she introduced herself. Luke shook her hand. ‘Ashton has told me lots about you.’ The blond frowned. 

‘Really?’ He sounded amused. Jordyn laughed and nodded. She took a sip of her own beverage. It didn’t look like champagne. He wondered what she drank.

‘Of course I have,’ Mr. Irwin stepped in. ‘You’re great, and even better considering this is your first PA job.’  PA, PA… He crunched his brain, trying to figure out what it stood for, but he couldn’t get it. Dammit. He chuckled awkwardly, just going with it. 

‘Anyway, I’m glad we got to meet here, on neutral ground, instead of in my house,’ laughed the twenty-something woman. ‘Very wise of your uncle to bring you to events like this.’ She turned to Banks. ‘I’m sorry, your name was…’

‘Harrison Banks,’ he smiled with a wink.

‘Well thank you, Harrison Banks, for sending your nephew our way. Ashton has really been struggling, dealing with all of the work on his own.’ Oh, so apparently Banks and Irwin had made a little pact, selling an elaborate lie to the woman. They said their goodbyes, and the married couple walked away gracefully. They looked very good together. It was really a shame that Ashton was gay. 

‘What’s a PA?’ Luke whispered in Banks’ ear, his cheeks rosy. 

‘Personal Assistant,’ he smiled, squeezing the blond’s hip. He nodded. Okay. Personal Assistant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!  
> _gardener


	4. Chapter 4

‘Was it as bad as you’d expected?’ asked Calum, who was chilling in his bathrobe, fresh out of the shower. He smelled like vanilla. Luke shook his head. He sat down on the bed next to the brunet. 

‘No,’ he sighed. ‘I mean, trust me, it was still bad and I envy you for being “grounded”, but it wasn’t as bad as I’d expected.’ He played with his fingers. ‘Mr. Irwin was there.’ 

‘Was he still happy about closing the deal?’  Luke shrugged.

‘I met his fiancée,’ said the blond. ‘She was… I don’t know, she seemed like a really nice person. She thinks I’m Mr. Irwin’s assistant.’ Calum pulled a face.

‘That’s rough,’ he muttered. ‘Is he gay?’ Luke nodded. ‘Doesn’t he, like, own Uber?’ The blond nodded again. ‘Why is he dead set enough on not coming out that he’s going to spend what I only assume to be thousands of dollars on a secret gay companion?’ 

‘No idea. He said something about it being a scandal if he came out, but never elaborated. I mean, it wasn’t like I was going to  _ ask _ . I had already kind of crossed a line at that point.’

‘Interesting.’ Luke nodded. ‘Do you have anything today?’ 

‘I… I don’t think so? I mean, I normally see Carson on Saturdays. Maybe Banks booked another appointment, though. I don’t wanna get my hopes up.’

‘I get that,’ Calum nodded sympathetically. ‘Time really flew this week. Banks decided that a week was a bit much to recover from Ford’s death, after all, so he scheduled an appointment with fucking Le Grange for tomorrow.’ 

‘’m Sorry,’ sighed the blond. ‘He’s not the best at keeping promises.’ Calum shook his head. ‘Also, where is he? He was supposed to be here by 6. It’s…’ He looked at the silver clock hanging from the brunet’s bedroom wall. ‘7.30.’ 

‘What if he got into a car accident?’ There was a mischievous sparkle in Calum’s brown eyes. It was nauseating, what living like this did to you. He bit his lip. ‘I honestly don’t know how I would feel about that.’ Luke nodded.

‘Me neither. What would that mean? Would we… Where the hell would we go?’ Calum shrugged. ‘We wouldn’t survive living on the streets.’ Luke had thought about it. Of course he had. They all had. Where would they go if Harrison Banks died? Maybe there was a pact. Maybe they’d be offed. Maybe they’d be free. Luke was curious, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out. 

‘He’ll probably be here soon.’ Luke nodded. 

-

He never showed up, so they had dinner at 8 with Eli and the kids. Lola, an 8-year-old, was gone. 10-year-old Marcus had questions, but one slap in the face got him to shut up. They didn’t talk about it. They never did.

‘Hey, sweetie, do you wanna do a puzzle with me?’ Luke asked Marcus after doing the dishes. The boy nodded, and they went upstairs to the playroom. The boy was adorable, but he was sad. He always had questions, questions that couldn’t be answered. Luke puzzled with him.

‘Luke?’ asked the boy. His voice sounded trembly, like he was maybe about to cry. ‘Where’s Lola?’ They always played together. Luke knew that. 

‘Do you like it here, Marcus?’ he asked, sighing deeply. The boy shook his head.

‘No, I hate it here.’ 

‘Do you want Lola to be happy?’ He doubted, but nodded anyway. ‘She’s away from here, now. She’s in a good place, where the people don’t hurt her.’ 

‘You mean she’s dead.’

‘No, she’s not dead. She’s somewhere else, where she can be happy.’

‘Can I go there?’ Luke shook his head. ‘Why not?’

‘Because we need you here for a little longer. You need to take care of the kids, yeah? Who are Emily and Maria going to play with if you’re gone?’

‘But Lola and I always played with each other. Who is she going to play with now?’ His lower lip trembled. Luke felt short on breath. 

‘She, eh… There’s other kids where she is.’ He didn’t know where Lola was. Fuck, he was pretty positive that she was dead, but Marcus didn’t need to know that. ‘They can play with her.’ He’d been through this so many times. 

-

‘Calum, you should go to bed,’ said Eli at 10. They were on the couch, both reading a book. 

‘But it’s barely 10pm, Eli,’ frowned the brunet. ‘Can’t we stay up a little longer?’ 

‘You can read your book in bed, Calum.’ Luke and Calum hated Eli. He was always very strict. ‘Luke, Jacques is picking you up in 10. Go get ready.’ Luke’s heart sunk into his shoes.

‘What?’

‘Like I said, Jacques is picking you-’ 

‘Who do I have an appointment with? I didn’t hear anything from Banks today, so I thought I had the night off?’ 

‘I don’t fucking know, do I look like a secretary to you?’ Luke frowned. What the fuck was that supposed to mean? ‘I’ll check. Go get ready.’ 

‘I can’t get ready if I don’t know who I have an appointment with, Eli.’ Luke was pissed, now. ‘My style of…  _ clothing _ , depends on the client.’ The man nodded and walked out of the room. He came back seconds later with an iPad. 

‘Carson,’ he said. ‘Now go get ready.’ Luke frowned.

‘That can’t be right,’ he spat out. ‘Carson’s no longer one of my clients. Banks told me so himself.’ Eli pulled a face.

‘That sucks, boy.’ 

‘Call Banks.’ 

‘Luke, you have an appointment with Carson in less than half an hour. Calling Banks isn’t going to do anything.’ 

‘I’m not going to Carson’s, Eli. I need to talk to Banks.’

‘You’re going, Luke. I don’t need to do anything for you. Get ready,  _ now _ .’ 

‘Call Banks,  _ now _ .’ 

‘I don’t need to take this fucking attitude from you, Luke.’ He grabbed him by the hair, making Luke scream. 

‘Let go!’ he yelled, trying to punch the man’s chest. Eli looked at Calum, who sat there with wide eyes. ‘Let me go, Eli, please,’ he cried. He did, pushing the blond back onto the couch. ‘Can you please,  _ please _ call Banks for me?’ Warm tears rushed down Luke’s cheeks. 

‘Fine, I’ll give him a call, but I suggest you don’t expect him to cancel this appointment. It’s not happening.’ Luke nodded, and Eli rang Banks. 

‘Hello? Yeah, it’s Eli. Luke asked me to call you. He wants to talk to you. Okay. Yes, here he comes.’ He handed the phone to Luke. 

_ ‘Hey baby, what’s wrong?’ _

‘You logged an appointment with Carson for tonight,’ the boy sobbed. ‘Please,  _ please _ tell me it’s a mistake.’ 

_ ‘Oh, Lukey boy, I’m so sorry.’ _ Luke felt like he was going to pass the fuck out.  _ ‘I forgot to tell you. Jeremy wants to see you one last time, to say goodbye. I should have told you, sweetie.’ _

‘You… You did cancel him for me?’ 

_ ‘Of course, baby, I promised I would.’  _ The blond felt like his gut was being twisted. He had no idea what to feel.  _ ‘You just have to go one more time.’ _

‘Just… Just one more time? You promise?’ 

_ ‘I swear, Lukey, just one more time. And tomorrow you get to go to Mr. Irwin again. You liked him, right?’  _ Luke nodded. He didn’t even realize the man couldn’t see him.  _ ‘Just think about him tonight then, yeah? I have to go. Bye sweetie.’ _ He hung up right away.

‘Jacques’ outside, you can change in the car.’

‘Okay, one last time.’

-

Banks was going to be  _ pissed _ if he saw him like this. There was cuts all over him; his cheekbone, his eyebrow, his collarbone, his arm, his stomach. They were all small, and not very deep, but it was ugly. The side of his lower lip was turning blueish, and his hip bones were black with force. He was ugly like this. Ugly and roughed up. He tasted blood on his tongue when he limped towards the car. Jacques waited for him with a cigarette in his hand. He handed it to Luke, who lit it. 

‘What has gotten into that man?’ sighed the chauffeur. 

‘I think he’s possessed,’ grinned Luke, blowing out the smoke. He couldn’t even cry, wasn’t even capable of producing tears after this. It would only hurt more, to get the salt into the wounds. This was the last time. He would never have to deal with him again. His body ached, but he was happy. Happy that it was over. 

‘I bet,’ laughed Jacques. He drove off. ‘I heard what happened, the last time you smoked a cigarette, so I brought mints and body mist.’ Luke smiled. Jacques did bad things, but he had a good heart. Luke sometimes thought that he was a fallen angel. Jesus with a cigarette between his lips. But he wasn’t. He was just an ordinary man, who had made the wrong choices. He couldn’t change anything about the situation, couldn’t change Luke’s fate. 

The ride home was short. Luke was happy to find that Eli had gone home and that Gerald was there to welcome him home. Eli would have thrown a fit if he saw Luke like this. Gerald just sighed deeply and led him to the bathroom. 

‘I know you hate this, and you’ve obviously been through it today, but-’

‘It’s fine, G, just get it over with.’ Luke took off his shirt and threw it in the corner. He sat down on the edge of the bathtub. The guard nodded and opened the cabinet, pulling out the necessary supplies. He patched the boy up, sterilizing his cuts. 

‘Anywhere else?’ Luke shook his head. ‘Are you sure? L, I know you hate it, but it needs to be taken care of.’ The blond took the side of his lip that wasn't bruised between his teeth. He looked guilty, sad. ‘Turn on the water, yeah? I’ll be back in a minute. It’s going to be okay.’ He left. Luke looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like an absolute mess. He would have to see Mr. Irwin tomorrow, with cuts all over him and an anal fissure. The man would probably cancel and Luke would have to go back to Carson. He hadn’t even thought about that, yet. 

‘G?’ Luke started sobbing quietly when the man walked back into the bathroom. 

‘What’s wrong? Hey, hey, it’s not that bad. You’re going to be fine.’

‘It  _ is _ that bad. What if… What if I go to Irwin’s tomorrow and he doesn’t want me anymore with all of this? What if he doesn’t want to see me anymore? I will have to go back to Carson, G. I don’t wanna go back, I really, really don’t wanna go back.’ 

‘Only time will tell, L,’ sighed the man, ruffling Luke’s hair. ‘I’m sure Mr. Irwin won’t get rid of you just because you have a few cuts on you. And if he does, I’ll talk to Banks, okay? I’ll talk to him. I promise.’ Luke nodded, putting the tiny bit of trust he had left into Gerald. Maybe he could convince Banks that Carson was too much, that he was going to kill Luke one day. If Banks saw what he had done to Luke tonight, and if that made another client not want to fuck him anymore, there would be consequences. Maybe he would cut out Carson entirely. Something would happen, for sure, right? 

‘Where were you, today?’ the blond asked timidly. Usually Gerald had a day shift on Saturdays and would Eli stay with them at night. It was confusing. Luke was used to a strict routine, when it came to stuff like this.

‘Take off your…’ He looked at Luke’s ripped up lace panties. ‘Those, yeah?’ The boy nodded and stepped out of them. He carefully got into the bathtub. Gerald took a new sponge out of its plastic packaging. Luke’s blue orbs followed his every move. He could smell the soap that the man used to soak the sponge. It smelled like Sterillium. He handed it to Luke. It hurt, cleaning himself. The bath was only filled a little, enough to soak his nether region. The water turned red with blood. ‘Oh my,’ exclaimed Gerald when he saw the water. He was seated on the edge of the tub. ‘Hey, shhh…’ He tried to shush the sobbing boy, but it didn’t work. ‘You asked where I was today, right? Let me tell you.’ Luke nodded. The warm water hurt and the soap stung, but he needed to soak. 

He stared at the sponge floating on the surface of the water as Gerald told him how he had gone to his sister’s wedding today. How she had looked beautiful. How in love she and her husband were. It distracted the boy from the pain, but it also made him sad. 

It made Luke remember that there was life beyond these walls, that there were people who actually lived a happy life, finding love, getting married. It reminded him of the fact that he would never have that. That there had never been a chance for him, a chance at love, or at happiness. The moment he was dropped off at the villa on Outpost Drive for the first time, all of those chances were taken from him, all of those opportunities had become a mere fantasy. 

He let Gerald touch his hole to apply cream and didn’t even flinch. He hated everything. He just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.

-

‘Do you ever think about killing yourself?’ Luke asked Calum the next day, when that thought still hadn’t left his brain. The brunet looked up from his book.

‘Every day, why?’ 

‘Because I’m thinking about it,’ the blond said. He swallowed a pain killer with some water. ‘I just don’t know if I could. What would it take for me to do it, if I still haven’t? We’ve been through it, you know. Why haven’t I killed myself yet? Why haven’t you?’ Calum shrugged.

‘I guess I still have hope, somewhere. Every time I take a bath, I think about slitting my wrists, but I always think one stupid thing: what if something life-changing happens tomorrow? Like, Banks dying, or this whole damn human trafficking thing burning down. Something that grants us freedom. What if I miss that, Luke? What if I die the day, or the week, or even the month before that happens?’

‘This sounds like a really bad case of FOMO,’ laughed the blond. ‘I get it, though. I guess it’s the same for me.’ 

‘Don’t you have an appointment with Irwin today?’ Luke nodded. ‘Do you think he’ll mind the cuts?’ He shrugged.

‘Maybe the cuts not so much. I’ll probably bleed, though. I have a fissure.’ Calum pulled a pained face. ‘Maybe he’ll mind that. I don’t know.’

‘Wasn’t he, like, super adamant about you coming the last time you were with him?’

‘I mean, I wouldn’t say “super adamant”, but he definitely wanted to get me there.’ He looked at the brunet. ‘Why?’ 

‘Maybe if you tell him about Carson, he won’t fuck you. Maybe he’ll just let you blow him. People who want to make other people feel good have a soul, to some degree.’ 

‘I don’t know. I can’t just tell him about Carson. If Banks finds out I talk about clients to other clients, he’s going to actually off me.’ 

‘Like I said, Irwin may have a soul.’

‘We’ll see about that.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somebody commented "please keep writing" and I felt that, because I sometimes have stories that I really wanna read but the author just quits. I get the author, because I know the feeling of just being drained of inspiration and will, but I also get the commentor so badly. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this!


	5. Chapter 5

Luke had been extraordinarily nervous to go back to Mr. Irwin’s residence. He had put a very full coverage foundation on his bruises, but there was no way he could cover up the cuts. They were fresh and red, but no longer bleeding. His lip hurt, and despite desperate tries, there was also no manner of making that bruise appear less blatant.

‘Lucas, good to see you again.’ Luke said his hello, too. Mr. Irwin kissed his cheek and let him into his house. He closed the heavy wooden door behind the blond and led him to the living room with a hand on the small of his back. Luke noticed the man studying his face, but he didn’t mention it. ‘Do you want a glass of wine? A friend gifted me a very nice Cabernet from Napa Valley last week.’ 

‘Yes, that would be nice, thank you,’ smiled the blond weakly. Irwin left the room to head for the kitchen, and Luke quickly put his hair up in a bun. If the man would eventually be okay with him just giving him head, he wanted to be prepared to go down. Luke’s curls had gotten quite long, recently. He liked it. Banks  _ loved _ it. Mr. Irwin soon returned with two large wine glasses. The liquid in them was dark, almost the color of blackberries. They toasted before sipping. 

‘You look a bit roughed up, Lucas,’ the man began after a minute of silence. ‘Would you like to tell me what happened?’ Luke thought about what Calum had said. This was the moment he could find out whether or not Mr. Irwin had a soul, to some extent. He licked his lips.

‘I’m not allowed to talk about other clients,’ he tested the water. Irwin put his large palm on the blond’s thigh. He felt the warmth through his pants.

‘I won’t tell anybody.’ That was what Luke had been looking for. He needed to catch the man’s empathy. Once in a while it came in convenient that there were a lot of reasons for others to feel bad for him. He usually didn’t accept sympathy, rejected it completely, but right now it was what he needed. 

‘Thank you, Sir, I appreciate that. I just… I don’t want to bore you with stories like these.’ He sighed deeply, almost melodramatically. Irwin’s eyes were difficult to read. He looked suspicious, maybe nervous for what was to come. 

‘I asked, you know?’ Luke nodded.

‘That is true.’

‘Tell me.’ The man gave him an encouraging nod, and it made the blond smile. ‘You can trust me.’ That was perhaps a bit much, but Luke was definitely about to put some trust in him by telling the story of Carson.

‘I have a client, I won’t say his name for privacy reasons,’ the blond began shakily. Irwin rubbed his shoulder. ‘He… He is the reason I wanted you to close to deal. I mean, I like you, and I did want to see you again, but there was another reason.’

‘I suspected that,’ the man nodded. 

‘This client, he… I’ve been seeing him for years.’ Luke could see Irwin doing the math.

‘How old were you when you started seeing him?’

‘Too young,’ the boy muttered. He had been 13 years old. That was too much to tell Irwin. Luke was positive that the man didn’t know how illegal Banks’ practises were. ‘It doesn’t matter.’ He sighed, rubbing his eyes. ‘He’s a nightmare. This man is… He’s very little short of the actual devil himself. When you… When you contacted Banks, I eh… I already had my entire week scheduled full of regulars. Except Wednesdays, which, I mean, now you have the Wednesdays. I saw this…  _ evil _ client every Saturday, until you came around.’ 

‘I’m so sorry, did I take your day off away from you?’ He didn’t sound particularly apologetic, which made Luke doubt. Was it really a good idea for him to tell Irwin all of this? He was just going to have to take his chances. He was too far in already. A knot formed in his stomach.

‘That’s okay, Sir, I… You helped me, in a way.’ Luke curled his lips into a crooked smile. ‘You really choose me, specifically, right?’

‘Eh, yes, I liked the looks of you,’ the man nodded. ‘I’m paying more than others, to have you, because Mr. Banks told me that your schedule was full and he had to cancel others, regulars.’

‘Well that’s how you helped me. Because of the money you pay him, I don’t have to see, eh, the evil client anymore. If you wanted me, for multiple times a week, Banks promised me that he would cancel this client for me.’ 

‘Was that why you panicked? Why you were so nervous last time you were here?’

‘Yes. He… This man is truly terrible. Look at me.’ The blond shook his head, almost in disbelief of how much of a nightmare Carson was. ‘He wanted to see me one last time, to say goodbye, although he really didn’t say goodbye at all, now that I’m really thinking about it.’ He took a deep breath. ‘He did this to me. He always did. This man always found some twisted way of hurting me. It was what got him off. And I don’t kink-shame, I’ve been through it all. People have peculiar wishes and I, well, I just oblige, because it’s my job. It’s just an objective, professional thing for me, really.’

‘That doesn’t make it okay for somebody to mutilate you like this,’ Irwin spoke. He sounded sorry. ‘A fetish isn’t an excuse to actually hurt somebody this badly. I mean, I like to maybe spank a little, but these are cuts, on your face.’ 

‘Not just on my face,’ Luke took a leap of faith. He took a sip of his wine. It was bitter, or maybe he was. Nothing really tasted good to him anymore. He was starting to think that maybe it was him. Maybe he was just rotten. 

‘Did, he, eh…’ Irwin gestured at Luke’s bottom. He nodded. ‘I’m sorry about that.’

‘It’s okay, it happens.’ 

‘It doesn’t just  _ happen _ . Stuff like that doesn’t just  _ happen _ .’ The man seemed to have a hard time believing, or maybe realizing, that this was Luke’s life, that this was how he thought.

‘Tell him that. He’s convinced that this is normal. That boys sometimes just…  _ rip _ .’ 

‘That’s disgusting, Luke, I am so sorry.’ His eyes were droopy, now, almost like he was hurting because of what Luke was telling him. It made the boy realize that, yes, to some degree, Mr. Irwin had a soul, and a heart, and that even though he wasn’t a messias, he was possibly going to change something. At least for the night being. This would probably take a different course. ‘Are you hurt, down there?’ 

‘Yes,’ Luke said in a breath. 

‘It seems you’re quite reluctant to admit that.’

‘I am, Mr. Irwin. I’m hurt, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do what you want. You pay a hefty sum for me, and that means that I do everything you want me to do. I don’t to admit that I’m hurting, because I don’t want you to feel like you need to hold back. I’m used to this.’ Luke was just playing him, now, working his guilt, striking his conscience. 

‘Luke, I’m not going to fuck you if your hole is ripped, if that’s what you’re talking about.’ Thank fuck he listened to Calum. A big wave of relief came crashing over him like a tsunami, but he tried his best not to show it. He just put on curious eyes, looking confused. ‘Does that surprise you?’

‘Eh, I mean, kind of?’ He was just lying to the man, now, and that didn’t feel good. But what was he supposed to do? He had to survive somehow. ‘I mean, obviously it’s not the prettiest thing to look at right now, but I don’t think you’ll feel the difference.’ Now that he knew what Mr. Irwin thought about the situation, how he was going to act on it, he thought it would be good to push it some more. He’d have to stop soon, though. He didn’t need Irwin thinking that he was a huge masochist, either. That would ruin it all.

‘I would never do that, sweetheart, I don’t want to hurt you.’ He embraced the blond. Luke hated hugging with anybody that wasn't Calum. It always felt like a trap. He was claustrophobic as fuck, and strong arms around him that he couldn’t just get out of like 1, 2, 3 made him feel like he was locked in a cage. He didn’t whimper, though, didn’t flinch, just let it happen. Irwin needed to get the impression that Luke was a real person. Real people liked hugging, felt safe in the arms of somebody bigger and stronger than them, especially if they had just called them sweetheart, and told them that they would never hurt them. So Luke pretended to be a real person. Because was he? He didn’t really know.

‘Thank you, Sir, you’re a good person,’ Luke whispered when he finally got out of the embrace alive. The man sighed.

‘I don’t know about that. I still hired you to come here.’

‘You don’t know much about this, do you?’ Irwin shook his head. ‘That’s probably for the better.’ He smiled, kissing Mr. Irwin’s lips before taking another sip sip from his wine. ‘It’s nice, this wine.’ He hated it. 

‘Good.’ Irwin kissed him again. He stared at the boy. ‘You’re beautiful, do you get people telling you that a lot?’

‘Sometimes, but the names slung at me differ,’ he chuckled. 

‘Do you see any of the money I pay Mr. Banks?’ 

‘I can’t tell you that, I’m sorry. There’s just certain things that are better left unspoken.’ Irwin shook his head, laughing.

‘You just told me an explicit story about an evil client, I’m pretty sure you can tell me a little bit more about your life. I’ll tell you more about mine, too, if you want.’

‘I don’t see the money, no, you give it to me in a sealed envelope and I hand it to my chauffeur when I get into the car, right away. He keeps it safe until we arrive at home, and he hands it over to the next person, who keeps it in a safe, until Banks comes around and collects the cheques.’ 

‘That’s not exactly what I meant when I asked if you  _ saw _ the money. I didn’t mean that literally.’ Luke frowned. ‘I meant whether or not you get any of it.’ 

‘Oh, no, I don’t really, eh,  _ do _ money.’ 

‘What do you mean?’ the man laughed. ‘Where do you get your food from? How do you pay rent?’  _ Oh _ , Irwin really didn’t know anything about Banks’ kids. The blond shook his head, laughing. 

‘Banks pays for my food,’ he chuckled. ‘and for the house we live in.’

‘We?’

‘Yeah, a bunch of kids, eh,  _ like me _ .’ 

‘You mean-’

‘We should change the subject,’ the blond laughed nervously. The heat was moving in quickly. He felt it in his body. He had said too much. ‘You should tell me more about your life.’ His face was red with nerves. Please move on, he thought. 

‘Okay,’ he said. Luke breathed in relief. ‘You’ve met my fiancée, Jordyn.’ 

‘I have. She was very lovely. I understand why you would want to be with her.’

‘She  _ is _ lovely,’ the man agreed. 

‘When did you propose to her?’

‘A year and a half ago. It was very romantic, I bought her one of those massive boxes of preserved roses dipped in gold. I was very happy she said yes, of course, because I really declared my love for her. And also, her ring cost more than my new Jaguar, so I was glad I didn’t waste that money.’ Luke laughed. 

‘I love those preserved roses. I see them on Instagram all the time. Singer, rapper and actor boyfriends gifting them to their pretty girlfriends.’ Their pretty girlfriends that have no idea they fuck me once a month for the price of your rent, he thought, but he didn’t say it out loud. 

‘They are quite popular,’ Irwin nodded. 

‘Do you want me to blow you?’ asked Luke, quite out of the blue. He was afraid that the man was going to come back to their earlier conversation about the blond’s way of living. 

‘Oh, eh, no, that’s okay.’ Why did that make the blond feel rejected? He frowned, trying to get an explanation out of the man without using his voice. ‘Oh, it’s not that I don’t want that, but maybe later? I was thinking that maybe we could finish this wine and get in the hot tub? It overlooks the Hills.’ 

‘That sounds awfully romantic,’ laughed the blond. He wanted to ask if he was sure he wanted to do that with a dirty prostitute, but wisely kept his mouth shut. 

‘I like it a lot, but Jordyn hates it, and I’d like to have some company in there for once.’ Luke smiled. He really was looking for a companion. ‘Will that hurt? I mean, you know?’ He gestured down there. 

‘I’ll make it work.’ Irwin nodded and stood up. Luke followed him upstairs. The hot tub was steaming. 

‘I already heated it up. Hoped you’d like it.’ They got in. The water hurt, but mostly on his cuts. He hoped the foundation he’d used on his bruises wouldn’t wear off. It wasn’t pretty. ‘I have some champagne. Do you like champagne?’ Luke nodded. He thought it was a bit sour, but he did like it better than wine. Irwin poured them both a glass. 

-

‘I can see my house from here.’ Luke was drunk when he said it. He’d had too much champagne. They had just talked, and kissed. 

‘Really? You live in the Hills?’ The blond nodded, and pointed at the villa he resided in. ‘That’s a really big house.’ 

‘Yeah, but we live there with up to 15 people and we all need our space, you know?’ This was why he didn’t drink, normally. He wouldn’t say stupid shit like this. He wouldn’t expose his owner. But he couldn’t stop. ‘Do you see that window, with the light on?’ 

‘Yes.’

‘That’s my brother Calum’s room.’ 

‘Your brother lives with you?’ Luke laughed, looking at Irwin with a sparkle in his eyes. He shook his head. 

‘He’s not  _ really _ my brother, but we always say that, because we’re Banks’ kids, and Cal and I have lived together for like 12 years.’ Well, there it went. He had told the man how long he had been with Banks. 

‘12 years? So you were 6?’ He nodded, sadly. His speech was quite incoherent from all the booze, and he couldn’t think straight. He really couldn’t handle his alcohol. ‘And was that also when you started to do this? This… work?’

‘Yeah,’ whispered the blond, seeking comfort under Mr. Irwin’s arm. He wanted the embrace, now, but the man now seemed reluctant to give it to him.

‘Do you wanna get out of the tub?’ Luke nodded. ‘Here, I’ll help you out.’ Irwin got out, first, and helped Luke get out, too. He wrapped a towel around his shoulders. Luke could feel his piercing eyes on his body and looked down. The foundation had washed off. Of course it had. Irwin just nodded, looking short on breath. The blond smiled, his eyes glazed over with intoxication. ‘What, eh, what if I call Banks to ask if you can sleep over?’ 

‘Costs extra, and no anal sex in the morning,’ the boy slurred sleepily. 

‘That’s okay. You look a bit too dazed to go back home, yeah?’

‘I can go home, it’s okay.’ He sounded like he was going to fall asleep. 

‘I’ll give Banks a call. Dry off and put these on, okay?’ He pointed at a shirt and a pair of boxers. Luke nodded and watched Irwin walk out. He dried off sloppily and changed. The shirt was big on him, and it was very soft. He put on the fuzzy slippers that were on the ground and sat down on the wooden bench that stood on the balcony. His head hurt and he was nauseous. 

‘Sir?’ he asked when the man came back. ‘I don’t feel too good. I wouldn’t want to throw up in your house. Where’s the bathroom here?’ 

‘So polite, baby,’ the man smiled, kissing the blond’s forehead. He led him to a bathroom, where Luke dropped to his knees and threw up. It was all liquids, fortunately. ‘It’s alright, sweetheart, let it all out.’ When he was done, cleaned up and tucked in by the man, he suddenly felt very guilty. 

‘I’m so sorry for tonight, Sir,’ he murmured with a deep sigh. ‘I shouldn’t have had this much to drink, and I shouldn’t have told you a lot of the things I said.’ 

‘Luke, baby, it’s fine. You’re going to be alright.’ 

‘And now you’re paying a shitload of money for me to sleep over just because I got drunk. Mr. Irwin, I can’t even begin to explain how embarrassed and sorry I am.’ He sighed. ‘Did you tell Banks that I drank?’ Irwin pulled a curious face. ‘It’s fine, I deserve what’s coming my way.’

‘What is coming your way?’ 

‘Nothing, it’s fine. I mean it, it’s my own fault.’

‘I didn’t tell him you drank,’ the man said, chewing on his lip. He was still frowning. ‘I said that we were having a lot of fun, and that I would love to have you over for the night.’

‘Where’s your wife?’ deadpanned the blond, rolling over. 

‘Fiancée,’ Irwin corrected him. ‘Jordyn is away for the weekend, on a retreat to relax. She’ll be back tomorrow by 5 or 6.’ He kept sporadically kissing Luke’s forehead. ‘I’m lucky, at the moment, because she’s away quite often at night lately, but in a bit, we’re going to have to see each other at my office. It’s very nice, too, I promise, just not as nice as my home.’

‘Maybe then I can really get some PA work done,’ giggled the blond. Irwin lied down in bed next to the blond and cuddled up to him. 

‘Go to sleep, yeah? You’re tired.’ Luke nodded and rolled out of the man’s arms. He couldn’t sleep in a cage like that. ‘Good night, sweetie.’

‘G’night, Sir.’ 


End file.
